


tell me you love me (come back and haunt me)

by topgrademilk (orphan_account)



Category: EXO (Band), f(x)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 05:38:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10802859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/topgrademilk
Summary: She was an communication major who needed, at least, one math course to graduate and Jongin had the  mathematics major to solve all of her problems.Although, he had unintentionally left more problems than solved them.





	tell me you love me (come back and haunt me)

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thanks for having interest in this story! （‐＾▽＾‐）
> 
> this was based on a manga i read a long time ago, and i can't seem to remember what it's called. i was pretty sure it was one of katsura komachi's works, but i can't seem to find any of her mangas that are similar to this story :< if anyone knows, could you  
> please tell me so i could properly give her the recognition she deserves.
> 
> please read this with caution with you're sensitive to this type of context. i didn't want to choose the warning because it would ruin the whole story. don't worry, there's nothing gory, killing or blood in this story. if you really want to know what the warning is, please head to the end notes.

It was in Soojung’s final year of university when she fell in love.

He was tall, spunky, and handsome. His personality always irked her because he always said too many unnecessary things, he was clumsy, and, worst of all, he couldn’t keep promises. If scum could take form, it would definitely have his face. But since he was tall, spunky and handsome, everybody loved him; even Soojung did – still does.  

She had met him through Taemin. He had introduced him to her when she was on the verge of failing math. She was an communication major who needed, at least, one math course to graduate and Jongin had the mathematics major to solve all of her problems.

Although, he had unintentionally left more problems than solved them.

 

***

 

“Soojung, this is Jongin. Jongin, this is Soojung.”

Soojung was too preoccupied with Taemin's attire to take a good look at Jongin at that moment. He wore a thin t-shirt accompanied with skinny jeans as if he didn’t know it was the coldest autumn day in the morning. She shivered from the thought of Taemin walking outside with just that. She wrapped her fall jacket tighter around herself.

“Hey.”

Soojung turned to the voice and was slightly taken aback by how bright his eyes were. When he smiled at her, the corner of his eyes crinkled and the ends of his mouth would perk upward in the most funny way. His bangs were parted in the middle in the most arrogant and ugliest way possible, and yet she couldn’t help but wonder why it looked so good on him.

 

***

 

Soojung stuffed in her hands deeper into her winter coat pockets, hoping to find warmth somewhere deep in it. Every time she exhaled, her breath became visible due to the cold weather. She paced around the restaurant's front entrance, impatiently waiting for him to come.

She cursed herself. Regret stinking in at the thought that Jongin would be here early because he might’ve been excited to come at the meeting time just as much as she was; she hated how she had high hopes.

They had agreed to meet at six o’clock and it was already six thirty. She wondered if she should just head home because, maybe, he forgot.

“Sorry, I’m late,” are the words that wisped her away from her thoughts. The words are said in between pants. She turned to find disheveled hair, somewhat still horridly parted in the middle, with an unbuttoned coat, untied shoelaces, and rosy cheeks. There’s also an apologetic smile on his face.

She thanked the cold for covering her excuse of red cheeks. She couldn’t understand how he can look practically enduring with such a messy appearance. She quickly tears her eyes away from him, hoping she didn’t stare for too long.

She remembered she's suppose to be angry, so decides not to say anything. 

As she walked into the restaurant, she can hear his footsteps following behind her. “Are you mad?” he asked, as he tried to follow her pace.

She didn’t say anything. Instead, she followed the hostess to their assigned table and sat down.

He sat on the seat in front of her. “You are mad,” he confirmed.

She unzipped her coat and hanged it on her chair. “Well, I did wait thirty minutes for you outside the cold.”

“I’m sorry. I had a project due at seven that I didn’t start until five o’clock. You know I’m a pro at procrastinating. By the time I had submitted my work, our dinner date had already started.”

Soojung didn't say anything. She was too busy trying to hide her red ears and flustered cheeks at Jongin’s words, _dinner date_.

“I didn’t forget about this,” he said, “I really didn’t forget about this dinner. I was really looking forward to it and I just lost track of time while finishing a project.”

Soojung gave a huff of breath and a pouty expression.

Jongin pinched her pouty cheeks and cooed at her.“Thanks for waiting for me.”

She made the mistake of turning to him because she was welcomed with a smile. Soojung felt her breath hitch and her heart beat a little faster.

She cursed because these feelings, he was making her feel, were not love. It was not love. It was definitely not love.

“You’re paying for my  half of this d-date since you made me wait thirty minutes,” she demands.

Jongin hums back as a reply. His hair was not as disheveled as it was before. The restaurant was noisy, and maybe that’s why the silence between them was so comfortable when they sat down. She didn’t really know, but she let herself basked in the silence as she looked at the menu in front of her.

 

***

 

“Hey,” he said. Soojung continued focusing on her practice, clearly trying not to be affected by a certain someone.

He had walked into the room so quietly that she probably wouldn't have known he came in until he said hi. He swiftly leaned against the piano as he listened to Soojung’s fingers delicately play the piano.

“Why is this song sound so sad?”

From the corner of her eye, she could see his arms folded and his chin resting on his overlapped hands.

She went back to playing the piano with her usual gloomy expression.

“Fur Elise is supposed to be played dark and ominous-like.”

“I think you play it really well,” he commented, “I just think you should play a more cheerful song, something that’s more you.”

She frowned. She never liked being complimented. Jongin had a habit of complimenting others, especially towards Soojung.

After several minutes of silence, he called her name. “Soojung,” he said, trying to get her attention.

Soojung ignored him.

Jongin slid on the other side of the piano bench and began playing the only song he knew, chopsticks, which was thanks to Soojung. She stopped playing, slightly annoyed that he ruined her practice.

“Play it with me,” he said it as a friendly demand. He played the song, each note crisp, short and confident -- staccato.

The way he played, each key he pressed, Soojung could just imagine the vibrant colors erupting. She could see red, yellow, green and blue fill the room. She didn’t hate it; it was too beautiful to hate the way he played the piano. Although it wasn't how he played that was beautiful but his form, and the smile he had when he played; it was just too beautiful to see him play the piano in such a way.

She secretly hoped she never forgot these sounds, the sound of him playing piano, his embarrassed laugh when he makes a mistake, and, most importantly, that smile.

Holding back her smile, she extended her arms toward the grand piano and played the other piece of the duet.

As she played, even though she wasn’t looking at him, she knew there was a smug, triumphant grin on his face because he had, yet again, gotten Soojung to play with him.

Soojung kept her head low too because she didn’t want him to see her face erupting into a smile.

The way her eyes would lit up, her laugh, and when her mood was up whenever she was with  him was not love. These actions were not because of love.

 

***

 

Soojung came into her usual practice room the next day and found Jongin already in there.

She was welcomed by a happy tune of, what she thinks is, Fur Elise.

The closer she approached the piano, she became certain it is the piece she always plays.

Her doubt came from the tune. It was played in such a happy and cheerful manner that she had a hard time believing it was Fur Elise.

He turned to her, with a proud smile, and said, “I told you I’ll learn the song in a day!”

Soojung smiled because she thought the tone of the song fits Jongin’s personality so well.  

 

***

 

“You always look at the pessimistic side of things. That’s why you suck at playing happy pieces on the piano.” He observed, leaning his head on the piano keys lid.

They were sitting side by side again on the piano bench. Soojung tried to calm her rapidly beating heart because of the close proximity. “Says the guy who can only play chopsticks,” Soojung rebutted.

“Hey, I can play Fur Elise too now because of my awesome capabilities.” There was a smug smile on his face.

“Oh please, it’s because of me,” Soojung corrected.

He grunted as he got up from the seat beside Soojung. Going over to the large windows, he opened the curtains. What the curtain beheld, Soojung was not prepared for.

The light was blinding, causing her to close her eyes for a few seconds.

“Look how beautiful it is,” she heard Jongin said. Soojung pictured him staring out of the window and looking down on the campus.

She was wrong.

When she opened her eyes, the room was bright, too bright for her liking. It took her a while to adjust to the sudden brightness of the room.

The bright light from the sun was hitting his features in all the right places. His back was leaning against the window and he watched as the specks of dust flew around the room; the sunlight was making them look like sparkles. His smile was beautifully white, and his eyes were crescent moons.

She couldn’t control the loud _thump-thump-thump_ coming from her heart. She was sure Jongin could hear; the whole building could probably hear it. Probably, the whole world could.

He looked absolutely beautiful, Soojung thought. He looked so eternal, so unreal. Soojung wondered if this man, she has been hanging out with for three months now, was real at all. He really was too perfect in this world to exist.

The sound of shuffling feet from outside the hallway made Soojung snap out of her trance. He had his back to the window, elbows leaning on the window sill and his attention on her. She realized he was waiting for her to come. She stood up and walked towards him.

She leaned forward as her elbows rested on the window sill. The view of the campus wasn’t anything special. It looked the same as it did every day.

Her heart was pitter-pattering still. She had a feeling why it was happening, but she didn’t want to admit it.

_This is not love. It’s not love._

He looked at Soojung with such bright eyes and a smile graced on his lips, and at that moment love swelled her heart.

She then let her heart control her actions.

“Fuck it,” she muttered as she grabbed a hold of his shirt, pulled him close and pressed his lips against hers.

If this isn't love, then what is it?

 

***

 

All the handholding, skin touching, close proximity, and hours spent together and yet it was hard for Soojung to say if they were dating but she did want them to. In fear of rejection, she didn't say anything. Although, she didn’t need to anyway because Jongin did for her.

“Are we, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?” Jongin asked as he swung their intertwined hands.

Soojung shrugged. “I don’t know.” There’s a hint of playfulness in her tone and a big smile.

He stopped swinging their arms. There’s that huge grin on his face. The one that always got Soojung’s mind jumbled and butterflies in her stomach. He knew her answer before she could even say anything. “Good because I want us to be too.”

He pulled her into an embrace and pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

“Finally,” she heard him whisper as they reluctantly pulled away from their embrace.

 

***

 

They’re down at the beach because, although today’s a windy day, Jongin wanted to go.

“Jongin, I have sand in my shoes and it’s the most uncomfortable feeling in the world,” Soojung complained.

He sat their belongings down on the ground. The beach is empty; there's practically nobody here but the seagulls. He turned his back to her and asked her, “Do you want me to carry you?” He crouches down a little to help Soojung climb onto his back.

“I’m heavy.”

“How heavy can you be? Come on, I’m a pretty strong guy,” he reasoned.

Without further ado, Soojung climbed onto his back. He let out a low grunt as he stands up and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I told you I was heavy!” Despite that, she nuzzled her nose on the curve of his neck..

Jongin laughed at her contradicting actions and words.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sand in my shoes,” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry, we have forever for you to get you use to it.”

“Forever, huh?”  She sounded skeptical.

“Yeah, forever,” he confirmed.

Soojung had smiled at the thought of forever.

 

***

 

Taemin can hear a slow version of Fur Elise --  it’s eerily slow -- as he approaches her apartment. He knocks on the door but after a few minutes, nobody answers the door.

He decides to fish the key out of her pocket. He unlocks the door with the key and is welcomed to a dark room. As he switches the lights on, he sees Soojung only in a thin tank top and underwear despite the cold weather outside. Her unkempt hair covering her face as she emotionlessly plays the piano.

“Soojung … ?” He says slowly, worried weaved into his voice.

She turns; there are tear marks rolling down her cheeks from her hooded eyes. Taemin instantly comes from her side, placing the white bouquet of daisies on top of the piano. He grabs her face with both of his hands, using his thumbs to wipe the tears off of her cheeks.

“Wha-” he doesn’t say anything more because he sees Soojung’s lips quiver. He knows what’s going on in her mind.

Soojung’s able to make out the bouquet of daisies through her blurry vision. They’re Jongin’s favorites. Her eyes are shut tight to try to stop them from falling, but they don’t. She presses her face onto his white dress shirt, not wanting him to see her cry.

Taemin gently strokes her hair as he feels tears soaking her shirt.

Taemin says it’s going to be already like he does every time. The words hang heavy in the dry air like they always do. He’s been telling her this for a year now and she still isn’t alright.

Taemin thinks she’ll never be able to.

 

***

 

Since then, every day, as though there was a constant buzzing in Soojung’s head, the music he plays never stops but his voice, his smiles -- they all have moved further and further away little by little; those beautiful memories, Soojung can’t hold on to them anymore.

She cries even more.

Humans are inherently wicked. It’s difficult to say if there are genuinely good people out there, and yet both the music and the world he saw, she didn’t understand but how can they be so beautiful?

Jongin had showed her colors of red, yellow, green and every other color. Just as he had showed her, he took them with him when he left. His thoughts, the way he spoke, the way he smiled, his adorable mistakes, his off-key singing, his piano playing -- they were all beautiful.

Maybe that’s why God couldn’t wait to summon him to the heavens.

While Soojung was left behind.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this far! i hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> on may 4th, i fixed some of my tenses and errors because they were too atrocious to not.
> 
> ps the warning was there's gonna be a character death.


End file.
